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The North Schuylkill football team hoists the Eastern Conference Class II championship trophy after defeating Carbondale 22-14 in Friday night's title game at Spartan Stadium.

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - North Schuylkill hit more than its fair share of bumps throughout this football season.

The Spartans were faced with some more bumps when Carbondale seized momentum in Friday's Eastern Conference Class II championship game.

As it had on several previous occasions, though, North Schuylkill rose up to meet adversity head on.

Coming together one more time in 2012, the Spartans made key plays when absolutely vital and emerged with a 22-14 victory over the Chargers to claim the second Eastern Conference title in program history.

North Schuylkill (9-3) took a 22-0 lead midway through the second quarter behind the rushing of Matt Gownley and Ethan Motsney, who combined for 172 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the first half.

"It was very important as it played out," Gownley said. "We only scored 22. You've gotta play every play as hard as you can. Since it was my last game, I was trying to play as hard as I can every play. You never know when your last play is going to be."

Both players left the game with injuries in the first half, and Carbondale (6-6) started its comeback.

Mike Scotch scored on a 32-yard reverse on fourth-and-2 with 3:11 left in the first half to draw the Chargers within 22-6.

Then a fumble by the Spartans with 2:54 left in the half set up an eight-play, 55-yard drive by the Chargers that culminated with Joe Gigliotti's 8-yard touchdown pass to Jason Martin that sliced North Schuylkill's lead to 22-12 at halftime.

"At the end of the first half when they got those two touchdowns, they kind of had us on the ropes," North Schuylkill senior lineman Tanner Dean said. "Everyone stepped up and held them down."

North Schuylkill turned the corner defensively in the second quarter.

"A lot of kids stepped up," North Schuylkill assistant coach Anthony Fanelli said. "When Gownley went down, we needed other kids to step up. That was a great team win.

"Our defense played pretty well in the second half. Once Gownley went down, we needed to make a couple of adjustments at halftime. I thought we did a pretty good job of that."

Grove and Grigas each broke up passes when the Chargers pushed deep into North Schuylkill territory on their first drive of the third quarter.

Grove also recovered a fumble on Carbondale's first possession of the fourth. The Chargers recorded a safety on the next play to pull within 22-14 with 9:24 left. However, that turned into the only offense Carbondale could manage in the second half.

"We took a little bump there late in the second quarter," Gownley said. "At halftime we regrouped. We came out. ... We tried to get the guys motivated and play. I gave them a few words, told them to keep going, keep their heads up. When it gets tough, keep going."

Getting the ball at the Spartan 40 after the free kick, Brandon Sales gained a yard on first down before a holding call pushed the Chargers back to the 50. Dean then busted through to drop Gigliotti for a 9-yard loss that turned momentum to the Spartans for good.

"That was kind of like a pivotal moment in the game," Dean said. "They were marching up and down the field. We had to hold them there in the fourth quarter. That was definitely a big play."

Added Fanelli: "Tanner Dean played the best game of his career tonight. He felt momentum shifting, and he stepped up and took over that game."

Motsney returned in the second half and added 68 yards to finish with 129 on 17 carries.

"I just wanted my players to protect me," Motsney said. "I was nervous about going back out; I'll admit it. But I knew I had to."

Gownley finished his night with 111 yards on 16 carries to push his season total to 1,020.

Motsney, Gownley, Dean and North Schuylkill's four other seniors - Dan McSurdy, Jordan Shinkus, Kyle O'Connor and Nick Sanayka - go out winners and with gold medals in their final game.

"It's great to win a championship for my senior year," Gownley said. "I'm on one of the few teams in the state that can say I won my final game as a high school football player. It's nice to say and it was a great season. We had a couple of bumps throughout the season, but we really pulled it together and made a great season out of it."

The Spartans went through plenty of adversity this season, including the suspension, resignation and eventual dismissal by the school district of head coach Rick Geist.

Each time, North Schuylkill's players responded.

"Especially where we came from, all the diversity we went through," Motsney said, " ... the way we organized ourselves throughout the wake of the suspension of coach Rick Geist, it's very commendable I think. I think we came together very well."

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